Meghan Markles issued another warning as HRH row escalates

Meghan Markle is facing fresh scrutiny after a royal expert warned she may be crossing into dangerous territory with her recent use of her HRH title, sparking concerns about “blurring the lines” between personal and public conduct.

The Duchess of Sussex, 42, came under fire this week after her friend, entrepreneur Jamie Kern Lima, shared an image of a gift basket Meghan had sent her last year. The package included a monogrammed card reading: “With compliments of HRH, the Duchess of Sussex.”

Constitutional expert Craig Prescott, from Royal Holloway, University of London, is issuing a firm caution.

“Clearly, when they stepped back from royal duties, one of the agreements was that they would not use these HRH titles,” Prescott told The Mirror.

“They still have the HRH titles, but agreed not to use them in an official capacity, especially not for commercial purposes to avoid implying royal endorsement.”

Prescott said that while there’s “nothing legally preventing” Meghan from using HRH in a private setting, the controversy stems from that line being blurred, especially when a private gift enters the public eye.

“This is a friend with whom she is doing a public appearance, and that’s where the issue lies,” he explained.

“You would have thought that discretion being the better part of valour would have been exercised.”

A spokesperson for the duchess said on Monday that they do not use their HRH titles publicly, while a source later confirmed to media that the gift was personal, not commercial.

“While they do not publicly use ‘HRH,’ this was a personal gift — and their titles remain,” the source said.

Why can Prince Harry, Meghan Markle not use 'HRH' title?

The late Queen had issued a statement at the time supporting the Sussexes’ desire for a more independent life but emphasized that stepping away from royal duties would mean giving up certain privileges, including using "HRH" publicly.

Along with dropping the titles, the Sussexes agreed to renounce public funding, withdraw from the Royal Rota media system, and relinquish Harry’s military appointments.

Meghan’s casual use of the "HRH" moniker on a public gift is raising fresh questions about whether the Sussexes are blurring the lines between royal life and private ventures.

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